Is it safe to travel to Iran?

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It happened on my second day in Tehran. As I ambled into the National Jewellery Museum for a glimpse of Iran’s crown jewels, a woman in black started gesturing at me with a burst of angry words.

My heart just stopped. Is this the notorious Iranian morality police?

My tour guide rushed over with a tight smile.

“She says you have your sweater on wrong, it’s inside-out.”

“It’s the fashion,” I mumbled, quickly walking away.

Safety – especially from the Gasht-e Ershad, the agency enforcing Iran’s Islamic code of conduct – is a big concern for travellers to Iran. But as I learnt on my 10-day trip, tourists are more likely to be accosted by the fashion police than the morality police.

Forget the screaming negative headlines – as you will quickly ­discover, the Islamic republic is not quite the scary, fanatical backwater you think.

In fact, it is easy to feel safe and welcomed there.

The Nasir al Mulk mosque in Shiraz, also known as the Pink Mosque. Photo: Isatis Tour/Amir Sharafat

Its Supreme Leader may be staring coldly down at you from the rigid murals and billboards, but the people on the streets are quick to greet you warmly and ask for a selfie together or invite you for tea.

It is not to say that the strict Islamic regulations are a myth – women have to wear a hijab (headscarf) and cover their figure in public. At some holy sites, you might even be asked to don the ­traditional long black veil called chador (which literally means “tent” in Persian).

But on the streets of Tehran and some of the big cities, it is common to see Iranian women strutting around in trendy tight-fitting garb with dyed tresses peeking out of their colourful headscarves as they rebelliously find fashionable interpretations of the state’s strict dress code.

And while public displays of affection between men and women are a no-no, almost no place is segregated. One of the few “places” where men and women are kept apart is the public transport, where women have a separate entrance and compartment on city buses and the Tehran Metro.

The fascinating socio-political paradoxes aside, what makes Iran remarkable is its historical heritage, and how the religious regime has staunchly protected it.

One of the oldest civilisations ­in the world, Iran is home to 19 Unesco World Heritage sites with a rich legacy of art, culture and architecture dating back some three millennia.

Golestan Palace, or the ‘Palace of flowers’, is one of the oldest historical monuments in Tehran.

My whirlwind exploration of this mesmerising heritage started at the Golestan Palace in Tehran. The muted façade of the 400-year-old royal complex is underwhelming, but as soon as you walk in, its grandiose opulence will hit you. Talar-i-Ayaneh (Hall of Mirrors), for one, is unforgettable with its blinding shattered-mirror mosaic walls and ceiling. One would think living with your reflections is unnerving, but apparently the mirrors served a practical purpose – they kept the assassins away.

The newer Niavaran Palace gives a different insight into Iran’s past – it exhibits the excesses of the last Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, as if to justify the 1979 Islamic Revolution that sent him and his family into exile. Maybe it was the winter cold, but an eerie chill swept down my spine as I walked through the rooms showcasing the royal family’s abandoned possessions.

This mesh of the extravagant and the austere; the traditional and the modern; and the Islamic and the pre-Islamic of Iran is evident even as you move out of Tehran.

The intricate ceiling design in the music room of the Ali Qapu Palace, at the Imam Square of Esfahan.

It cannot be more obvious than at the Imam Square in Esfahan, once Iran’s capital under the Safavid Dynasty. Surrounded by intricately designed palaces and mosques, the public square used to host polo matches for the ancient kings’ entertainment. Today, the Imam Square is a popular hangout for the ordinary Esfahan folks who love to picnic and read poetry on the grassy turf.

But the wintry air was biting when we were there, so we quickly popped into the labyrinthine Bazar-e Bozorg nearby to hunt for souvenirs and browse in the workshops where the traders make their wares, from traditional copper pots and glass trinkets, to miniature paintings and printed tablecloths.

Strolling along the Si-o-seh pol Bridge, the most striking bridge in Esfahan, is a must. Isatis Tour/Amir Sharafat

While I had vowed to resist the temptation of lugging home one of the famed Persian carpets, I could not resist the calls of the carpet sellers. So, I let myself be dragged into one carpet shop and surrendered to their “1,001 tales of flying carpets” over hot tea … Leaving without buying was awkward but the experience was definitely worth it.

If the haggling is not for you, there are many chaikhaneh (teahouses) around where you can sip your spiced tea and suck on nabat (traditional rock sugar). Find, if you can in the market maze, the kooky Azadegan Teahouse. The metal pots, lanterns and other knick-knacks hanging from its ceiling give Azadegan’s tea and snacks an extra oomph.

Kick back at the Azadegan Teahouse with its kooky ceiling decor after souvenir hunting at the labyrinthine Bazar-e Bozorg in Esfahan. Photo: The Star/Hariati Azizan

After soothing tea, nothing is more invigorating than walking across the wondrous Si-o-seh pol bridge to the leafy Armenian Christian quarter Jolfa, where the Esfahan Music Museum makes an interesting stop with its extensive collection of traditional instruments. We even got serenaded with traditional Persian love songs after our guided tour!

As the Safavids were credited for the spread of Shia Islam, Esfahan is an ideal place to soak in the distinctive blue-tile mosaic design of Iran’s Islamic architecture.

I did wonder if blue tiles are – as magnificent as they are – all there is to Persian mosques. I found the answer in Shiraz, another former capital city. Its Nasir al Mulk mosque is known as the pink mosque because its pink and red tiles radiate a dazzling rosy hue around the main prayer room when sunlight shines through its stained glass windows.

What’s left of Persepolis, the ancient imperial ceremonial capital of Persia, which was burnt down by Alexander the Not Great. Photo: The Star/Hariati Azizan

But despite its attractions, and Shiraz has many, most travel to the southern city to get to Persepolis, the ancient capital of the Achaemenid Empire.

It is said that the Greek conqueror Alexander (the “not Great”, from Iranians’ perspective) had torched most of Persepolis in a drunken fit, but the ruins are still breathtaking.

The tomb of Cyrus the Great at nearby Pasargadae completed my “lesson” on this ancient Persian civilisation. Cyrus is dubbed the “Father of Human Rights” and, to the current theocratic government’s chagrin, many Iranians now hold annual protests at his tomb.

The Zoroastrian Towers of Silence in Yazd where the dead were once left to be eaten by vultures before burial.

I find Iran’s preservation of their pre-Islamic heritage absolutely riveting, and my intrigue only grew when I got to the desert town of Yazd, considered by many to be the “Zoroastrian HQ”.

Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions, is said to be founded in Iran. One of its distinct facets is its “decontamination ceremony” for the dead – their bodies are left in a simple tower known as dakhmeh or tower of silence for vultures to pick clean to the bones.

The dakhmeh at the hilly edge of Yazd will transport you back to those gory times, especially if you go there after visiting the surreal Fire Temple, where the flame allegedly has been burning for over 1,500 years.

Yazd’s old town, a pit stop during the old Silk Road days, is also captivating with its badgirs (windtowers) on sun-dried mud-brick houses set around narrow, winding lanes.

The bathhouses in Kashan are best explored via the rooftop, like this one at Hammam-e Sultan Amir Ahmad. Photo: The Star/Vincent Tan

All the guidebooks say the skyline is best seen from the rooftop, something I unfortunately didn’t get to do as I had to rush to Kashan, another old town with traditional houses, gardens and hammam (bath houses) that should be explored from the rooftops. As I looked out across the quaint skyline, it struck me – I had barely scratched the surface of what this diverse country has to offer.

I guess I just have to come back.

This media trip was sponsored by Thai Airways. Thai Airways flies from Kuala Lumpur to Tehran (via Bangkok) four times a week.

sk

The houses and buildings in the northern side of Tehran( the richer neighbourhood) is spectacular…its so similiar to the french architecture. The world has underestimated Iran because of how the western media has protrayed it to be. The only thing i dislike about the Iranians living there is how they drive and how they are ignorant about people walking with kids but the rest is just so beautiful.

Nik Akmal

Stephen

No, you definitely need a valid visa to visit Iran! The 14 days visa-free for Malaysian passport is just a gimmick. Their immigration ruling changes daily at the whims and fancies of the officers-in-duty. More importantly, do not travel to Iran alone or arrive at the odd-hours (midnight, etc.) Bring lots of cash in USD or Euro only. Other currencies to be waste papers.

Bright

You are absolutely right! I was in Iran this March and I was told by the officer that Malaysian does not have free Visa to enter Iran. I had to apply and pay for the Visa on Arrival. Make sure that you have a travel insurance with you as it has to be submitted together with the visa application. Do not rely on the Visa information from the official Homepages or Embassy as most of the time it will not be the same when you arrive at the airport in Iran. Always go to the Visa Counter and ask for the Visa requirement for Malaysian, before lining up at the Immigration. I have travelled 4 times to Iran over the years and everytime the Visa regulations are different although Malaysian has so called free Visa to Iran.

kamleshini

Adi

Yup. I had the same experience with visa too. Was stuck at the airport for 3 hrs trying to sort my visa on arrival even though M’sians are supposed to be visa free. They made me purchased an Iranian travel insurance before they gave me a visa, even though I already have a travel insurance. Other than the incident at the airport, I enjoyed my visit to Iran.

Sam Sabz

Mirror mosaics have nothing to do with keeping the assassins away!!! It’s a deeply spiritual thing that’s hard to explain to someone who doesn’t know much about Zoroastrianism and the Iranian version of Islam (which is heavily influenced by Zoroastrianism). In short, the mirror is the heart where the divine light is reflected. That’s why shrines made by Iranians are decorated with mirror mosaics.

edelali

Thank you for your beautiffully written piece, and for your visit! Media has grown people paranoid. Your opening paragraph is solid point. You’re always welcomed in Iran, so make sure to come back soon 🙂

I tend to have a few reservations, though, if you don’t mind:

VPNs are not needed for accessing Gmail in Iran. Some other Google services are banned by Google presumably due to sVPNs are not needed for accessing Gmail. It has never been.

Regarding Internet filtering, users are not actually banned from accessing sites in Iran, there’s no charge in using unregistered VPNs developed by BBG or accessing blocked sites on users’ own responsibility. Rather, unregistered foreign companies are banned from operating in Iran. In case of Facebook and Twitter, they’re known to regularly sell users’ data, including Iranians’, to foreign governments and companies, and are banned by US government from officially operating in Iran, thus not legally allowed to operate by Iranian government, too. But specifically, they’re charged with cooperating with US government, a hostile government to Iran, to encourage uprisings in Iran, marked with Twitter delaying planned maintenance at the request of US government in 2009. They were also accused of spreading lies in 2009 presidential elections in Iran, before they were accused of the same charge in 2016 US presidential elections. Facebook is prone to US laws and was legally forced to confront spread of lies in the aftermath of 2016 US elections. Such a legal action was impossible for Iran in 2009.

Women doesn’t have separate entrance and compartments in the Tehran Metro. It’s simply an optional service offered for more female privacy and convenience at the last one or two cars at other end of the train, marked by Women Only. All other subway cars are mixed. The same practice has been seen in Japan, Brazil, Austria, Germany, India, and in 2010, Malaysia. ‘Ladies Only’ compartments were first introduced back in 1874 by the Metropolitan Railway in the UK.

Not many Iranians gather around the tomb of Cyrus the Great for protest, not definitely to commemorate him being the Father of Human Rights. Pan-Persian groups encourage superiority of the Aryan race over subordinate Arabs.

Also, Last Shah of Iran was Mohammad Reza Shah, not Reza Shah, his predecessor and father.

See you back soon 🙂

raha

Most tourists who come to Iran, find it different from what they expected before… Actually there is nothing bold about western tourists in here except this fact that they may be more welcomed! Maybe to show that the propaganda against this country in their media is absolutely wrong and unfair…
By a smart phone and a local sim card (that is so cheep, about 3 dollars) and by about another 3 dollars for internet services, you can get access to high speed internet for a month and by easily downloading an antifilter like Psiphone you can access to all blocked sites without any problem… Iranian people want to show a more realistic image of their country to the whole world and specially western people… During recent years tourism has been boosted and more and more tourists are coming here, and as an Iranian I am glad to see foreigners here… And I am sure that you’ll find a lot of interesting stuffs in this multilingual, multicultural, multiclimate and ancient country.